For The Love of America
by JenelleLucia
Summary: The relationship between Tavarua and America has only been filled with the ups and downs of the two nations. Tavarua is a tiny, heart-shaped island off the coast of Fiji who falls in love with an American superpower. Through years of heartbreak and war, she must put her heart and her secrets past her limits in her pursuit for the love of America.
1. 1876

_**For the Love Of America**_

_【America/Tavarua】_

_Tavaruan-American relationship through the years is filled with ups and downs, going reincarnation after reincarnation of the nations we love so. Tavarua is just a tiny, heart-shaped island off the coast of Fiji who falls in love with a certain superpower. Now, through times of war and constant heartbreak she must put her heart and her secrets past her limits in her pursuit for the love of America. _

* * *

_She hates the rain. _

The rain spilled in droplets over the land, cracking against the pavement and plopping into their respective puddles, most of the raindrops racing against each other down the glass panels of the large windows of the house surrounded by trees and other types of flora and fauna. The house itself was large, very large, from its exterior but inside, to the little girl living there it was a palace.

In her case, it was a lonely, large palace.

The rain splashed against the window panes, and the little girl watched from where she was sitting on the windowsill the different paces each one made going down; faster, slower, it didn't matter. It helped her take her mind, be that it was a little one, off of other things-they were things that didn't matter to her, and they really shouldn't now, but they did. She wasn't old enough to know that they mattered, that they would later influence her mindset, though that's how it was for now.

At the moment she was quiet, breathing softly while she listened to the sound the raindrops made as they fell outside. She made sure to pay special attention when looking for a horse and buggy that would stop in front of the large house and out of it will come the man she had been waiting for for days. It was a routine, after all. She sat there almost every day after getting out of bed and getting dressed and other parts of her routine that were repetitive. Waiting was something she had done every day, wasn't it?

Well, it did become a daily feat in the rest of her history.

"Amelia? What are you doing up this early?" a male voice now interrupted the little girl's thoughts as she sat there on the windowsill. His voice was warm to the little girl's ears; it was brotherly, loving, and with a crisp British accent that had a small, yet bright smile light up on the girl's face as she swung her legs from off the seat and bounded up to the man with blond hair and bushy eyebrows standing in the doorway.

"Arthur!" the girl–Amelia–now let herself be lifted up by Arthur Kirkland, her caretaker for the day. Yesterday it was a different man, Francis Bonnefoy. He was French, as the little girl presumed, and another one the other day, a Canadian by the name of Matthew Williams. Of course, Arthur didn't mind taking care of the little toddler...though he wondered why the one who had her as a colony wasn't here for most of the time, when he really should be. He snapped out of his thoughts of the certain man when the little girl in his arms pouted and crossed her arms, "and it's not '_Amelia'_, Artie! It's Lia!"

Arthur chuckled, nodding as he carried the little girl in his arms, "Oh, right. Lia. I apologize, love. What are you doing up so early, though?" Lia laid her head in the crook of Arthur's neck, the little smile on her face then fading into the usually solemn look she wore on her face when he saw her by herself.

"I'm waiting for Alfie." Small ringlets of her long, blond hair fell across her face to hide the sad, pained looks her blue eyes held when she spoke his name. Arthur frowned for a moment, moving the hair out of her face as she spoke for that moment about Alfred. Oh, Alfred F. Jones, ever so proud, never home for the one that he took in, loved as a colony. Lia had been growing up lately without Alfred around, and the younger had been lonelier than ever.

_"You can't keep leaving Lia like this! It's going to bite you back in the future one day," _Arthur remembered warning Alfred. It had been days before this moment, and the next morning of the first day of his absence Lia awoke to Matthew coming in and getting her out of bed for lessons. There, Alfred was still packing his bags and getting ready to go to where God knows he'd be, and not come back until days later.

_"Arthur, please, just bear with me," _Alfred then pleaded, looking at the Brit in front of him. _"It'll be just for this week, I promise." _

_"You say that almost all the time! How long will she have to grow up without you? You go off to God knows where, and what happens when you come back? You leave the next day or the day after that!" _

Arthur held Lia tightly in his arms now, rubbing her back comfortingly as she laid limply in his arms. He could feel her breathing, hear the soft, slow rhythm of her heartbeat. That wasn't enough to ease her worries. She wanted Alfred there, at home with her, and she wanted him home now.

"Will Alfie be home tomorrow?"

"I don't know if he will, love."

"Then...will be home the day after tomorrow?"

"I don't know that either, Lia."

The little girl went silent after that, just burying her nose in Arthur's jacket and inhaling his scent, which was uniquely a mix of tea and whiskey, but at the same time softened with roses. Arthur didn't know if the she was distressed by his words, or if she didn't understand quite yet, but he knew that she could tell what he meant. Alfred wouldn't be coming home for a while, just the way it was most of the time.

"I'm sorry, love," he murmured softly, placing his lips on Lia's head before stroking her hair softly. The little Tavaruan colony was still there in his arms, laying there and thinking of everything that could have been possible right at this very second. Alfred's coming home, he's happy to see her, or maybe that was just one of her expectations. Arthur could tell that the little girl had been waiting days—really, she had been waiting years. Alfred had started leaving her in the care of Arthur and Francis and Matthew when she was 3, just learning to talk. 2 years later, she still had yet to learn why he was leaving her almost all the time.

She didn't like the empty feelings she felt growing within her.

Arthur didn't like how Alfred was leaving Lia like this but he, too, was an adult. Alfred was making stupid choices himself, and he still had yet to learn from them. There were mistakes such as this; these were mistakes he was repeating so many times over, that not even the thought of the little girl in his arms would be enough to stop him. In fact, why did Alfred want to keep her around when really, all he'd be doing most of the time was neglect her and keep her in the care of someone else?

"Artie?"

"Yes, love?"

"Does Alfie love me at all...?"

Arthur looked down at the little girl in his arms, then hesitating with what to say. Really, what was he supposed to tell her?

"I...He does, poppet. He loves you, very much."

"They why does he always leave me?"

Right there, Arthur didn't know what to say. He was really struggling with his words now, as he looked the little Tavaruan square in the eye. Exactly what was he supposed to tell her? He couldn't say anything to the little girl to make her think that Alfred leaving was all her fault. He didn't want her to think that, otherwise it would've gone on his conscience and he'd have to think about that for the rest of his life. Lia wasn't looking for an answer now, or any longer. She just wanted Alfred home, instead of his absence constantly. The two were silent at the moment, before Arthur looked up and out the window.

"Look, Lia, the rain's stopped."

Even so, that wasn't enough to make her happy. He let her get down and go back to the seat where she was earlier, and he watched as she went back to staring out the window, her hands pressed against the glass and looking down below for the covered wagon and the horse pulling the one she wanted home in it. Arthur then sighed, but before leaving the little girl by herself he heard the small pitter patter of footsteps run up to him on the soft, carpeted rug on the cedar floors and he looked down to see Lia looking down at her feet and holding onto his leg.

"Please don't leave me alone, Artie...not like Alfie does..."

Arthur was taken aback by the little girl standing there and holding onto him. If there was anything that he could see as he looked in the little girl's now saddened, lonely blue eyes he could see emotionally strained, how absolutely tired she looked just waiting for him. He bent down in front of her, patting her head gently with a small smile on his face. Of course, it was natural to hide away how distressed he was just watching Lia yearn for Alfred when he was never there at all but he didn't want to worry Lia any more than she already was. Waiting for Alfred was enough, but having her know that he won't be around most of the time shook his thinking completely.

Outside, a buggy with a horse pulling up in front of the house and stopped, the door soon swinging open once it came to a complete halt. There, getting out of the covered wagon was a young man with messy blond hair with one hair sticking out at the top, bright, confident blue eyes, and a tall, somewhat toned yet lanky build. He was wearing a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows under a taupe waistcoat, brown trousers, and black boots, which creased at his toes when he bent on inside of the carriage to get his packed belongings, which sat on the other side of where he was sitting presently.

"Please still be here..." He muttered to himself, pushing up his glasses to the bridge of his nose as he carried his things up the stairs of the house and knocked on the large, cedar doors. The knock echoed throughout the house, which brought Arthur back to his feet from soothing the now quiet Lia. Motioning for the little girl to follow him, he went to get the door.

And there he stood, which made Lia's eyes brighten in an instant.

"Alfie, you're home! You're home, you're home!" Lia giggled happily, jumping up and letting Alfred take her into his arms in a tight hug. Arthur only frowned, almost disapprovingly, at Alfred before giving the child in his arms a small smile.

"Lia, love, come now," he chided the little one gently, "I'm sure Alfred, er..._Alfie_ is tired from his trip coming back, hm?" Alfred rolled his eyes, hugging the little girl back tightly once more.

"C'mon, Arthur. I missed her as much as she missed me, right, darlin'?" He chuckled, looking at the little girl in his arms, who nodded happily.

Really, Arthur doubted that Alfred missed her since he left her all the time.

"Were you good for Arthur, Francis, and Matt?"

Lia nodded when Alfred gave Arthur a small smile before motioning for Arthur to follow him up. "Alright, if you were, lunch is on me today."

"Yay!" Lia cheered happily, holding onto him as she was carried on his shoulders to the kitchen. However, just watching them didn't make the frown leave Arthur's face as he crossed his arms. He didn't understand the fact that Alfred kept Lia around even if he did leave her. After all, neglecting the little girl wouldn't be to good for their relationship in the future, and the feeling of neglect based her emotions.

This was the cause of Lia's departure in the future, after all.

_**~ (For the Love of America) ~ **_

_Yes, he came back today. She didn't think he'd be off again tonight._

He carried the candelabra into the large, frilly, pink bedroom that belonged to Lia and her alone. Quietly, Alfred opened the door and he set the table down on her nightstand, sitting next to the sleeping little girl on her bed and bending down to where he was sitting to kiss her forehead softly.

"Alfie...? You're not leaving tonight, are you?" Lia's sleepy voice croaked from the now, somewhat awakened little girl tucked in the blankets.

"No. I'm not leaving tonight, Lia, don't worry." Alfred was lying, as he had these past 2 years. He couldn't promise her that he was staying. No, not now. As much as he loved this little girl, the little colony who meant the world to him he couldn't give up what he had now. He waited until she was asleep and he got up slowly, walking out the door with the candelabra in his hand as he went to his bedroom to get all his things.

"Oh, no. Don't tell me you're off again," another voice, specifically a male, British voice with a warning tone in it. "You just came back and now you're leaving? What's going on now?"

Alfred sighed as he put down the suitcases he was holding and crossed his arms, now staring at Arthur who had stood behind him the whole time. He shook his head before speaking, "I just don't want to give it up."

"Give it up!? Give exactly _what_ up!?" Arthur asked, following him out the door to where the horse and buggy was waiting for Alfred to come. "When I found you out in that field, do you think I did the same thing and left you the way you're leaving Lia?"

The yelling from outside certainly did wake the said little girl up.

"Arthur, please, you cannot tell Lia that I've left," Alfred bit his bottom lip as he packed all of his belongings into the compartment for his belongings in the carriage.

"And why can't I?"

"Arthur...just...you just can't. And besides, it'll break her heart like—"

"And you don't think what you're doing now is going to crush her spirits?" The Brit shook his head, almost ashamed at the young man he had raised 100 years before this. Was he this bent on keeping his freedom? It wasn't fair to just Arthur, but it especially wasn't fair to Lia, who was constantly being left behind. "It's still not fair to Lia. Where are you when she needs you the most?"

Arthur then crossed his arms, his green eyes glaring daggers into Alfred's blue eyes. However, that wasn't enough to stop Alfred from getting into the buggy and sitting there, though he was there without a word to say.

"Nothing to say, is that it?"

"I...I can't give it up, okay?" He muttered under his breath as he closed the door. Only Arthur stood back from the carriage, and watched with a frown as the horse and buggy pulled away from the house, with Alfred in it not looking back.

Arthur was not alone in watching Alfred leave, however.

In her bedroom, Lia was sitting at the window seat she had always sat in while waiting for Alfred to come home and she watched, in the darkness of her bedroom with nothing but the company of the moonlight streaming in from the windows Alfred leave once again. Of course, she was already used to that.

_This time, she didn't wipe the tears falling from her face. _

* * *

_- _Tavarua is an island, but if you really looked it up, an island resort :/ So, I thought I'd put my imagination in full throttle and picture her as a rising power instead of just a tiny resort, so enjoy!


	2. 1898

_**For The Love Of America**_

_"Do I matter to you as much as you matter to me?" _

* * *

_This girl here was certainly...new. _

Of course, Lia didn't expect to see her here. The years went by, and slowly, ever so slowly, Alfred began to stay home and take care of her like a normal person would. However, Alfred did leave her with Arthur in the house on certain occasions and just like the years she grew and grew, only a few months back celebrating her 13th birthday. That was a story to be told for yet another time, as it wasn't important now. Today was one of those days that Alfred had come home. There were certain issues involving Spain that she was not able to know about as of yet, but she could tell that if those issues were really that important he wouldn't have been called away to leave most of the time.

And yes, the 13-year-old wanted a souvenir. Not a new housemate.

She was pretty, Lia had to give her that. She had long, jet black hair in soft waves that framed her face, dark brown eyes, and fairly tan skin. She was curvy, for someone older than she was, and taller than she was...yet, she was shorter than Alfred. Speaking of Alfred, the Tavaruan had noticed that already he wouldn't stop staring at this _new girl_. First of all, she didn't need another roommate, no matter how pretty she was. What suddenly had changed when Alfred promised her that it'd be the two of them living together?

Oh, Alfred.

First, he leaves for almost half her life, and now that he's back for almost the first time he brings someone home. This absolutely terrified her. Who came first, exactly? There was no way she was going to give up now. She couldn't give up, even though she was fighting the urge to. Either way, it was killing her inside. After years of being shut out for half her young life, and just when he finally let her back in there was someone else who had entered the picture? Lia knew she couldn't allow that, nor would she accept it. Really, with all that was happening as of now, who was she going to turn to? Alfred wasn't there. Why, he's too busy spending time with this new girl to notice her; why would she bother now?

There was no one else for her to turn to for now. At least that's what she had thought, for the moment.

"What was it you wrote to me again for, love?" Arthur had come into the house on a Sunday morning, just when Alfred had left with this new girl on his arm. Lia had only heard the words _"...going to the Philippines...take care of Lia for the time being..." _before watching them out the window leave and never look back once. The blond-haired Brit stood in the young teen's doorway, peering silently at the girl who sat unmoved by the window seat. He wondered about the emotions, the thoughts running through her mind, but she only thought of one thing.

It sickened Lia, to wonder why she was staying when she felt such an urge to go.

The 13-year-old was silent at first, saying nothing at all. It scared Arthur to see what Alfred had turned Lia into emotionally. As a child, only 8 years back, she was talkative when she came out of her shell, playful, mischievous...those blue eyes smiled when she did. Now, she was re-living a nightmare she wished she'd never re-live again. Internally, Arthur just wanted to scream and hold Lia until everything was over, and take her away from Alfred so that he'd care for her the way she needed to be.

He had a feeling that Lia could do all that herself, though he didn't know why.

"Artie...why does Alfred have to leave with _her_ most of the time? What did I even do?" Lia was frustrated now, resisting the temptation to run into his arms and cry, just as she had done all those nights Alfred left, and especially the night she watched him go and he never knew she watched. Arthur watched as she fought with herself to keep herself calm, though clearly it wasn't working. How? He remembered walking into her room the night she watched Alfred leave, and his heart broke as he watched her run into his arms and sob loudly into his chest. "Why...why does he...what..."

The blond Briton watched her sputter now, and she was trying to prevent more tears from spilling out of her eyes. He had such an urge to just wrap his arms around her, tell her that everything would work out...but he knew no such thing at the moment. In fact, he didn't know when Alfred and that girl were coming back. He didn't know what to say at all; in fact, what was he supposed to tell her this time?

On the other hand, Lia was breaking from the inside. If anyone asked her how she was feeling, she could say a multitude of things—hurt, betrayed...neglected, much? Either way, it was all killing her. Where was Alfred when she needed him, and when he wasn't with that girl doing God knows what. She spent nights crying her eyes out and waking the next day tired and sore. Her head would hurt, she thought she'd collapse and do it all over again...

She wished she could, so she wouldn't have to see it all again.

Arthur said nothing as he moved to the young girl's side and he gave her a tight hug, rubbing comforting circles into her back and reminding her that there would always be a day Alfred would change and he'd be there for her. Oh, how he wished that was all true. He knew Lia's heart broke over and over as she watched Alfred with that new girl, and he couldn't do anything about it. Many times before the Brit tried talking some sense into Alfred, saying that even in this day and age Lia still needed him. He couldn't just abandon her again, otherwise it'll all come back to him one day.

"Arthur, why can't he just stay for once?" Lia gave in and finally rushed into Arthur's arms, and the Brit had no hesitation in holding her close and patterning soothing circles over her back. That didn't help the Tavaruan at all; at this moment, she felt that the more she cried she couldn't any longer as she went on through life. Arthur didn't mind the fact that his favorite suit was now damp with her tears—in fact, the suit didn't matter at the moment; Lia did.

"I...I don't know, love," the answer was the same. Arthur didn't know what to do at this point. All he could do now was hold Lia, since there was nothing else he could do or tell her. If only there was something else he could say...he heard the door at the front open, followed by laughs and giggles resounding throughout the entrance hall downstairs.

"Lia! Arthur! Hey, we're back!" Alfred's gleeful voice rung from downstairs was more like a death cry to Lia as the 13-year-old pulled away from Arthur rather slowly, and she blankly stared at the door.

"Love, you don't have to go down there if you don't want to—" Arthur was cut off when the young Tavaruan turned back to face him, this time her eyes were puffy and red from all the tears she had shed.

"I have to go down there, Artie."

The younger's eyes then softened when she turned back, and she swallowed her tears quickly before running out of her room and down the stairs to greet Alfred and the girl she secretly despised. In the meantime he was left in her room, Arthur looked out the giant window Lia spent her whole life looking out of before sighing to himself, running a hand through his hair.

_"Alfred...why do you put her through this hell...?"_

**~ (For the Love of America) ~**

_If this was Heaven to Alfred, then Lia was in hell._

She was silent at dinner that night, mindlessly blocking out the stories that Alfred and that girl—she later found out her name was Maria Clara, and she represented another island...the Philippines, or something like that—were telling. Was the story funny? She couldn't remember; she was just tuning out the both of them as she absentmindedly picked at her dinner. She cut a piece of the chicken leg on her plate with a blank face and forced it down her throat (with the help of a glass of water), as Alfred looked at her with an amused expression.

"You look down. Did Arthur bore you while you were here this whole time?" Alfred snickered, tousling her hair. Lia feigned a small smile before giggling uneasily. He gave Maria a small grin, which was returned, before looking over at the Tavaruan curiously.

"I'm okay," she answered in a rather small voice before pushing away her plate, already finished. "I'm finished so..." Alfred gave her a small smile before nodding. She hopped down from her chair and pushed it in before yelping in surprise when Alfred pulled her close to give her a big goodnight hug. The younger didn't do anything in return, which worried Alfred completely.

"Are you okay...? You've been actin' like this since Maria got here." the American's smile changed into a worried expression as the 13-year-old pulled away from him and disappeared into the stairwell after exiting the dining room. Alfred sighed, then leaned back as Maria came up behind him.

"I don't understand." Alfred murmured, placing a hand over Maria's, which was gently placed on his right shoulder. "Is she going to be okay...?"

"I hope so..." Maria answered, watching Lia leave and smiling when Alfred placed a chaste kiss on her hand. The Tavaruan had watched everything from the stairwell before quietly running up the stairs, every step she took she could feel her heart breaking more and more. Arthur had left earlier; he wasn't going to be here the time Alfred and Maria were. Why should she? She mentally told herself, over and over again, that she wasn't going to accept the fact that there was a new girl in Alfred's life. What happened to being the only girl?

That's right. She never was in the first place.

Thoughts ran over and over in her brain as she quickly made it to her room, slowly closing it behind her. She knew that there were other girls in this world; why, for once, couldn't she be the only one to be Alfred's? No...no...what the hell was she thinking? She couldn't think this way in the first place. Alfred - no, America - was free. He was free to do anything he wished; he was free to fall in love with anyone he wanted. Her back slid down against the door (Lord knows how many times that she had done that) as she hugged her knees close to her chest.

"Did this have to happen to me? Was this fair at all?" Lia whispered to herself over and over. This wasn't some sort of fantasy, some nightmare she wished she was able to wake up from; this was reality. This was _her_ reality. This was the reality that she was forced to live since the day she had turned three. She lied, all her life, in saying that she was okay. In fact, she was not okay. She was living an everyday hell - one that Alfred had no clue he was putting her through - and she hated it. She wanted to throw herself onto the bed, curl up into a ball, and cry. She had spent her years crying. Why do it some more if she wasted her tears on the one person who never looked her way?

She wasn't jealous, if you asked her how she was feeling at this very moment. She didn't know how to be jealous. In fact, the only feelings she understood so far were desperation and sorrow and maybe, just maybe, this was the first step towards jealousy. She couldn't be jealous. She couldn't bring herself to be. He wasn't worth her time, and to tell the truth, he shouldn't have been. Wait...how the hell did she know this? Just a minute ago, she didn't know why she was wishing to be the only one Alfred held dear.

This wasn't a new feeling, was it? No, it couldn't be. She didn't have time for new feelings.

Slowly, Lia got up and slumped down onto her bed for the few seconds she had before hearing muffled voices from the other side of the wall at the headboard of her bed. She crept over quietly, pressing both hands to the wall and her right ear to the wall, and she rolled her eyes when she heard Alfred and Maria speaking.

"No, no, you're saying it wrong," Maria laughed on the other end, then clearing her throat. "_Mahal kita_."

"Mahal kita," Alfred repeated, earning a laugh from the Filipino girl from God knows where Lia thought she was, "did I say it right? What does it mean?"

"You had to have an accent when you said it, but it was just fine." The Filipino girl smiled, before letting her voice soften as she answered his next question. "It means 'I love you' in Tagalog, Alfred."

Lia felt her heart drop as she heard him reply, his voice matching hers, "I love you, too, Maria." The Tavaruan could hear muffled shuffling in their background (it was presumably on a bed) as she heard the next few words come out of their mouths.

"_Mamahalin kita ngayon at magpakailanman." _

"What does that mean?" _  
_

_"_It means, 'I will love you forever and always.' That is my promise to you, Alfred."

"I promise the same, Maria."

Lia didn't know who killed the Alfred she knew before Maria showed up, and she didn't like it. As soon as she heard those words she dropped to her bed, only silent now as she sat in the comfort of the candlelight and the sound of the two in the other room doing what she didn't want to know about. She had such an urge to cry right then and then, loud enough for Alfred to hear that he would come in and just hold her and comfort her and...no. No, that would never happen. She wasn't three years old anymore; she couldn't cry without reason.

She was silent, trying now to block the two in the room next to hers as she sat up in bed, tightly hugging her knees to her chest with knuckles white. What happened when he was away? Was he truly in love with her? Why was she so paranoid over this? She shouldn't be, right? It wasn't right. In fact, she wasn't alright. The questions taunted her now, and she was here in the comfort of her room, soon silence overcoming the house as she loosened her grip, her knuckles reclaiming back the rosy hue they once had.

Lia looked back as she listened for more noise in the room next to hers. Nothing, as there should be. She slowly craned her head to the front of her room as she stared ahead, face blank and eyes sadder than they had ever been before. She was alone now; Alfred was, and probably would forever be on Maria's side. She should have known it before; there were other girls in this world, the world where Alfred was there, and they were going to want to be with him. He was probably going to love them as much as they loved him, and there she would be, sitting on the sidelines just as she had always done.

This, right here, was her world. And in her world, she waited for Alfred every waking day. The sad thing was, he never came.

She was tear-dry now, her face pale and tired as she sat up that night. Why would she be thinking about their conversation at a time like this? She shouldn't be. It was late at night, the only solace she had now was the hooting of the owl and the chirping of the crickets below...all it made her think of now was how broken, how naive, how stupid she was for thinking about any of this at all. All she could think of now was of the things that she had lost this very day.

She lost Alfred.

She lost her place as the only girl in his life.

Sure, those bothered her because she let them bother her. Still, that didn't break her heart any more than it already did when she realized she lost the most precious thing she thought belonged to her and her only.

_She lost her place in his heart, which now belonged to someone else._

* * *

**Here are some fun Filipino phrases that were in today's chapter (once again, thanks mom!)**:

- "_Mahal kita_" = "I love you."

- "_Mamahalin kita ngayon at kailanman_." = "I will love you forever and always."

**A/N:** Forgive me for taking so long, guys. I've gotten busy with traveling, and right now all I want to do is write, and write some more, and the like because school gets back in a few days so I have to write as much as I can get in before I become busier and busier and busier. I'll see you all in the next update!


	3. 1899

**_For The Love of America_**

_"The question isn't who's going to let me; it's who is going to stop me."_

* * *

_The sound of their arguing was music to Lia's ears. _

Yes, it was cruel of her to think that, but somehow, she couldn't help but to have a small smile on her face as she listened to Alfred and Maria argue day in and day out. What was it over? It was always over the one thing Alfred had, Maria didn't have, and something Lia thought over: Freedom. Exactly what _was_ freedom? After turning fourteen, Lia was able to have less restrictions and limitations - Alfred wasn't there to make decisions about her life anymore; he was too busy arguing with Maria over it. It didn't matter to her, but sometimes it made her wonder about what it was like to be free, when no one was holding her back and she was free to do whatever she had desired.

What was it like to be free?

There were times when the arguing got old, and those were the days Lia wasn't in the mood to listen to them or she was pondering over the meaning of freedom. Moreover, what would it be like if she was free, let alone free from Alfred? Maybe it was a nice feeling, or maybe it was the loneliest feeling in the world. She wasn't too sure just yet. Maybe at the age of fourteen she had an idea, but then again she didn't know what she would do without Alfred at all, despite the fact that she spent most of her life without him. Maybe she could ask...? No, no, she couldn't. It had only been 133 years since Alfred had gained his independence; maybe he was still reeling from it? Alright, maybe it wasn't safe to ask _him_, but she thought again.

Either way, she had to ask. Dramatically thinking, there was no way she could go on if she didn't know. (Not that it bothered her, of course.)

The fourteen-year-old spent the hour pacing in her room as she waited for her guest to come. It wasn't Arthur this time, oh no. She just hoped he had enough time to help her figure out her feelings towards all of this. It was confusing, to have all these feelings come into her mind at such a time, especially when she was tuning everything out that was going on downstairs. She couldn't let it bother her...she had to think of herself for once, and not what Alfred thought...if he ever thought of her at all, that is. The Tavaruan heard the door open, and she turned to see the Canadian in her doorway. With smiles exchanged between the two, Lia ran into his arms for a tight hug.

"I haven't seen you in a while. You're alright, eh?" Matthew asked in such a soft, almost quiet tone as he bent down to her to match her height and brushed her waves of hair out of her face. The Tavaruan always considered Matthew as the Alfred that was never there, but she still loved him all the same. He was the one - much like Arthur - who searched for the monsters under her bed when she was younger, read her stories...did all the things Alfred never did. She was completely dependent on Francis, Matthew, and especially Arthur, but just watching her grow up they could see that she was able to hold her own at a young age just fine. However, Matthew didn't understand why Lia would write to him for a serious matter as this. Hell, he barely made it out alive from the mini war that Alfred and Maria were currently having downstairs.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she smiled back at him, then taking a seat at her usual spot by the window in her room. "Actually...I wanted to talk about something, Mattie. That's why I wrote to you."

"I see. What did you need?" The Canadian closed the door to Lia's room behind him as he strode into her room, looking around at all the pictures and paintings and all the parts of her room before taking a seat next to her on her special seat. That, of course, was the first time the Tavaruan had opened her seat up to anyone (as she was usually isolated in that part of her room and preferred not to have anyone near her when she was in this spot). She then turned to Matthew and cleared her throat before the words spilled out of her mouth.

"What _is_ freedom, exactly?"

Thankfully, her words did not fall on deaf ears. How was he supposed to give her an answer to this? He didn't know the actual meaning of it himself; in fact, no one really knew the answer to that question. It was such an indescribable feeling...there wasn't a word to describe the feeling one felt once they had it. He swallowed for a moment (especially making sure that she didn't know he was sweating) before looking down at the girl sitting before him. Why did she want to know something like this anyways? She wasn't thinking about it now, was she? She was too young for this sort of thing.

"How come you want to know, Lia...?"

"Well...I...I think I want my freedom from Alfred, but I'm still a little confused about what it is myself," Lia's voice was small as she replied to his question. Matthew definitely understood how she was feeling; she had every right to be confused. She was only fourteen, of course! Still, why would she be thinking of this now? Maybe the best advice he could tell her was to wait? Even if he did tell her to wait for the right time, he would know that she wouldn't wait. She wouldn't be able to wait that much longer, considering how she already had enough of Alfred and what he had done for the past few years. Who wouldn't, really?

"When did you start thinking about this?" he asked, looking at the fourteen-year-old in front of him. Lia could only nod towards the door, and when they were silent enough they could hear more screaming coming from downstairs between Alfred and Maria. So, it was those two who brought it onto her. It wasn't surprising, as Lia was old enough to take care of herself with or without Alfred. Matthew couldn't help but shake the feeling that she wanted to know more and she wasn't going to stop until she knew as much as wanted. Besides, if she had thought about leaving Alfred for a while, would she be okay if she went through with it?

He knew that with this newfound age, there would also be confidence within her. Not a lot, maybe just a little. She'd probably pry a bit more, ask Francis and maybe Arthur for their input if he didn't give her one at this very moment. After 133 years without Alfred, Matthew was absolutely sure the Brit was still reeling from his little brother figure leaving to become the man he was right now. The Canadian personification sighed before giving her a little smile and going on with his explanation.

"What it means to be free..." he began, back leaning against the wall as he looked her dead in the eye. "Freedom means that you can do anything you want to do, and absolutely nothing and nobody is holding you back. You're able to do anything you want, get anything you need...you'll be able to take more care of yourself in no time at all. _You're able to do what you feel is right without worrying what other people will think_. You can be anyone you want to be. In fact, you're going to get stronger, and stronger and soon enough you'll be making a name for yourself."

They weren't false hopes that he wanted to give her. If she wanted to be independent, then this was what she was going to put herself into. He didn't tell her about the emotional damage and the scars that she might get along the way, not just yet, but if she really wanted this then he knew he was going to have to let her find that out for herself. Lia sat back in silence as she listened to him, thumbing her palms gently as she thought about what he had told her. Was independence confusing? Was it easy?

_Was freedom ever easy? _

His words and her questions lingered like different scents melding together in the air as she gave more thought - _her_ thoughts, of course - to what would happen if she did gain her independence anyway. Would she know what to do? No, she wouldn't yet; she couldn't tell about events she wasn't able to control. After a while of thinking about it she eventually snapped back to reality as she looked back at Matthew giving her a gentle smile, and it was then she asked her next question.

"What does freedom feel like?"

"Freedom..." Matthew's expression changed from a gentle smile to a solemn frown as he began his answer to the next question she had asked, "it's the best feeling in the world. You feel alive, when you're free. It's exhilarating, it's exciting...you swear that once you get your first taste of it, you look back to all the things that brought you there and you've never felt happier._ It feels like taking a breath after being underwater for so long_, you know?"

He sighed as he then concluded. "Though having your independence might be the happiest feeling in the world, it can also be the loneliest feeling."

_Can it be the loneliest? Lia never knew until she had it herself._

**_~ (For The Love of America) ~ _**

_She learned more that day, about what freedom was and how it felt like. _

Freedom, Matthew told her, was like a hot air balloon. It could soar for as long as it pleased, never knowing when it could get back down. However, when it made its return, it was always a slow one, never forgetting where it came from. This kept Lia up at night, almost starting from the night Matthew left. The things he told her were almost imprinted in her mind like a story passed down with oral tradition. Did she really want to be free from Alfred, or did she want to be with him for practically the rest of her life, despite the fact that he deserted her every chance he got?

She knew it then and there that she couldn't have that.

In fact, she did know what she wanted as she laid in her bed that night in the company of the moonlight trickling through the window. It was there she decided that she couldn't be there anymore, and there when she thought Matthew was right - she was her own person now. She might have been fourteen years old, but really, who was she? She was still a person, no doubt. She wasn't Alfred's to throw around and abandon for other girls to just come in, and she swore on her life right then and there when she just realized that she was about to fall off the bed and hit her head on her carpeted floor over and over and over again.

Matthew was absolutely right when he told her that she could make a name of herself.

She laid there that night, staring up at the darkened ceiling as she berated herself in her mind over and over. What was it now, when she realized that staying was only going to hurt her more? Was she really going to chance staying with him when there was so much more she could really do for herself? The noise of the couple arguing in the other room had gotten louder and louder and she tried to block out the yelling by placing her pillow over her head and groaned.

"One day I'm going to get out of here," she muttered to herself as she sat up, rubbing her forehead and glaring at the wall behind her, "who knows when I will."

The next morning was full of the same old, same old. Breakfast was quiet, Alfred had been giving her more attention than he thought he'd ever give her...it was pretty much the opposite of what life was since the day Maria had arrived. She sat there quietly as she dug at her oatmeal (Alfred made it, so it was a bit more soggy than it should have been), occasionally looking up to see Alfred and Maria glaring tired daggers at each other, as a result of last night's scream-off they didn't get enough sleep for the night.

She knew she shouldn't have been eavesdropping on last night's conversation between the two, but since she couldn't sleep Lia might as well had done it anyways. If she had heard correctly, fighting had broken out from Filipino revolutionary forces against the United States in response to the change of colonial rulers after the Spanish-American war. Recently, there had been a breakout of guerrilla-style warfare on the Filipinos' side and Alfred was none-too-pleased when he had found out Maria had helped in coming up with the tactics. Lia wondered what would have happened if it was her who was in Maria's place; Tavarua was a bit too quiet after all, but that didn't mean she didn't keep up with what was going over there, after all.

She heard things, too. There were people who weren't happy with all those years under America's rule, and they especially weren't too pleased with the way the US had neglected them over the Philippines. There were rumors of declaring independence, the quiet rebellions caused adrenaline to pump through her veins and sent a different, confident sort of fire coursing through her blood.

Was this...was this the urge to break away?

After finishing breakfast and excusing herself rather quickly, she found herself now in the comfort of her own room pacing back and forth once again. There was more yelling coming from downstairs, which fueled some more of Lia's conflicting thought process. Did she really want to leave Alfred, despite the fact that long ago she promised to stay with him? Maybe leaving was the best choice. She wasn't going to let talking to Matthew that whole time be for nothing. She wouldn't let it be for nothing, even if she tried.

What would happen if she tried? She wasn't sure. Maybe she was a bit too young. It was such an early age to think about leaving, and she didn't know what to do upon becoming independent. She didn't hear the door opening downstairs, and the voices of Matthew, Francis, and Arthur mixing in with Alfred's and Maria's downstairs. She didn't bother with going down there; what was she going to say, after all? She wasn't about to ruin the train of thought she had going on for her. She was too busy thinking...about herself, for once.

It was such a new feeling that had come into the mix. She hadn't thought about herself in such a while, that she didn't focus on what she wanted to do. The thoughts and the conflict she was having with herself was overwhelming, that she accidentally hit her back against the door. She jolted once the sensation touched at her and she looked towards the door.

"Lia? Lia, are you alright, love?" Arthur's voice was calling out to her from downstairs, and only that could be heard as she stared at the closed door. In fact, it was just in her way as she thought even more about it. This was now or never in her eyes, and thanks to Matthew, she found the courage to clutch the cool, silver doorknob and open the door, stepping out and slowly walked down the stairs with blank, almost bewildered eyes.

"Lia? Hey, are you okay...? Did you hit something on the way out?" Alfred neared her, eventually taking both her wrists and looking her in the eyes. "What's wrong?" He couldn't hear what she said next, as it was an incoherent mumble that first left her lips. "Lia, I can't hear what you were sayin'. Do you wanna repeat that for us?"

All eyes were on hers as Lia's blue eyes finally glared daggers up at Alfred and much to his horror, she repeated what she said before.

_"I want my independence, Alfred."_

* * *

**- The Philippine-American War (1899-1902): **

The Philippine-American War began February 4, 1899 when fighting broke out between Filipino Nationalists led by Emilio Aguinaldo and American forces after Spain's secession of the Philippines at the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898. Aguinaldo, who led the Filipinos, sought for independence over the change of colonial rulers. It wasn't until November of 1899 the Filipinos shifted to guerrilla warfare (which is mentioned briefly in this fic). In 1901, Emilio Aguinaldo was captured, and it wasn't until July 4, 1902 President Theodore Roosevelt granted general amnesty and declared that the conflict over in 1902.

**A/N: **It took me a few days to write this, and during those few days I had help from my friends Andria and Edward, so this chapter is dedicated to the both of you! Thank you guys so much for helping me figure out Matthew's reply to Lia's question, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!


	4. February 14, 1903

_**For The Love Of America**_

_"She had not known the weight until she felt freedom."_

* * *

_This time, she could say she loved the rain. _

The rain fell harder this time, much like hail hitting against the pavement or endless snowfall. This time, it was different; Lia wasn't sitting inside her large, lonely palace where for years she spent looking out the window while watching the droplets of rain race down the window panes and drip off the trees and give off the scent of the Earth as she woke up day after day. She was standing in front of Alfred now, as she stood before him and they were both drenched by the rain that poured as if they were bullets fired at them and them alone. It was painful, too, standing there as she was continually hit by the long, drops of rain barricading from above.

However, as she stood there, she never felt so alive either.

There was a sudden pang in her heart as she looked down at Alfred, in a position before her that looked much like he was begging her not to leave. How _did_ this happen, exactly? Maybe speaking out was some smart decision she decided to do all of a sudden? She knew that it was all worth the risk as she thought about the moments that lead up to now.

_"I want my independence, Alfred," _she remembered telling him back in 1899. After turning 15, she knew she had to do something about this. God knew when she would stop aging and stay at a certain physical age forever; she felt like it was probably the best path she had taken. She remembered the horror on Alfred's and Francis's faces, the incredulous smirk on Maria's face she gave before she left that night, the look of melancholy and pain on Arthur's face...and especially Matthew's silence revealed all. She remembered the way he was shaking his head, as he knew what she would ask for next.

_"W-Wait, Lia, are you sure you slept last night? Or you're stuttering or some -" _Alfred was horrified from what he heard next, and no one expected it to come from the sweet, little Tavaruan who now came to life with a sudden anger and confident fire within her.

_"Did I stutter, Alfred?" _

Alfred knew there would be a time this would come to bite him in the ass. Arthur was absolutely right, only a mere few years or so back when he said that one day Lia would have enough. Gone away was the excited little girl who'd run into his arms even though he left her all the time, and here was the little lady he knew she'd grow up to be; and yes, he feared the day she would. He knew there would be a day she would finally take matters into her own hands, and leave - it didn't matter how much it hurt, but he honestly knew that she'd want this, despite the fact that it was a promise she had broken.

She would have gladly kept that promise, no matter how much it hurt to try.

The rain drenched the two out on the battlefield, both nations' forces behind them with guns aimed at the other side. Their pride was down, obviously, and with every step Lia wanted to take, it further tore her heart in two as she looked down at the American in front of her, head down and practically kneeling before her. There were no other words exchanged between the two, but only she could feel the tears run down her face as she watched him.

Her tears and the rain mixed as the sky darkened, lightning struck, thunder crashed and the rain fell harder and harder. She didn't know which was which then.

She bit her lip as she looked back and nodded for her army's retreat. She turned as well, leaving him still in his place and she closed his eyes as she followed them back, closing her eyes and step by step she followed them out and never looked back once. The tears and the rain mixed together, the sweet smell of the dampened Earth surrounding the two as she stopped once, murmuring the words that she knew he wished he never wanted to hear.

"Goodbye, _Alfie_."

From then on she walked away. For good? She had hoped so. They knew that it was such a bittersweet goodbye, especially since Lia never looked back once. In all honesty, she wanted to look - no, run - back one last time. Though she probably would not have gotten a last glance back, she fought the urge to steal one more as she left him on the battlefield alone that night.

_Today was February 14th, the day that came to be known as the Tavaruan Independence Day._

**_~ (For the Love of America) ~ _**

_He could blame many things for her departure - Lia, Maria, Matthew, himself - but he knew that he was the only one to blame as he sat in the house alone. _

Alfred sat in his office blankly staring at the wall ahead of him. The sun was shining, the birds were singing...it all sickened him. He closed the shades in his office, locked the door and turned on the lampshade on his desk. He looked around once, twice, maybe three times as he took yet another swig from the bottle of beer he had in his hand. He had been drinking for God knows how long, and to be honest, he was a wreck.

He didn't even know how many bottles of beer he had knocked out before this one.

The room was eerily silent as he sat there, taking out the Tavaruan Declaration of Independence and then the treaty that had come along with it. Oh, how painful it was just to read it. Well, it wasn't really painful; the beer only numbed the pain as he carefully read through it, then carelessly threw both documents onto his desk. Besides, it wasn't like he didn't care; what the hell, of course he cared. Was there ever a time when he didn't care? Sure, he may have spent time out and about and obviously, it disappointed her. Not just her, really. It disappointed his brother, Francis, and especially Arthur, who all worried about his habits especially after Lia had become independent.

They all had to wonder at the same time nevertheless: _What was she thinking? _

Even Alfred questioned it as he thought back to it. What was she thinking after all? What sort of urge did she have to become free, especially from him? She must have had a ton of reasons if she was that bent on becoming independent from him. He couldn't think about it now; he was just so drunk that he couldn't even focus on that one thing. Alfred took another swig of his beer and re-read the Tavaruan Declaration over and over before getting up from his desk and slowly walked to the picture of him and Maria.

He swore that he had thought it was Lia in the picture.

It was that, or maybe it was just the alcohol.

Yes, if he were to tell the truth, he was able to take Maria leaving. If she wanted to leave, then so be it. He didn't understand why he couldn't stomach the thought of Lia just getting up and declaring her independence like that. Yes, she was fifteen; she wasn't old enough to take on the world all by herself. In fact, she wasn't old enough to be her own nation.

She didn't care. She wasn't there anymore. Alfred didn't have her around to discourage her, make her change her mind. Moreover, she wasn't there anymore to keep her promise.

It was then he realized she was never coming back.

He also realized something else: he should've been there when she needed him. Yes, as the hero, he refused to admit he was wrong. Here he was, a beer in his one hand and the Tavaruan Declaration in another that he realized he should have listened to Arthur and Matthew and Francis (yes, even Francis) when they had told him numerous times to stay.

And now she was gone.

The pain in his heart worsened with the headache now that he had stopped drinking. What was he to do now? He didn't have Tavarua, and he very well didn't have the Philippines. What was he going to do next? It was an all for nothing, if anything. He wasn't going to sit there and mope over losing two of his most prized colonies-

Alright, with the fact that he was nursing a major migraine that came along with the drinking, he might as well sit there and mope.

_What was he going to do, let alone think next? _

_And more importantly, what was Lia going to do now that she didn't have him around anymore? _

**_~ (For The Love Of America) ~ _**

_Freedom never felt so good. _

For the first time, Lia was able to breathe. She wasn't drowning in her feelings trying to win Alfred's approval any longer; hell, she was way past that. She had so many things to do and places to go...oh, she had such a long way before that to get there. The Tavaruan walked around the island she personified, breathing the tropical air and embracing the heat. It wasn't like America, where it was temperate all year round. It wasn't like England, France, or Canada, which had the same properties.

It was home, and the warm feeling she had when she stepped foot on her island made her even more at ease.

"Amelia Woods, what the hell were you thinking?" A sharp voice, almost angry, asked from behind. Uh-oh. The Tavaruan was too scared to turn around, and if she did she'd see the one face she feared the most. The fifteen-year-old slowly turned around, biting her lip, to see a rather angry Englishman standing behind her. She cautiously approached him, looking up at the Brit with guilty blue eyes. He knew he couldn't stay angry at her for long, so he softened up a bit and sighed before beginning to speak.

"Just what were you thinking?" Arthur asked again, looking down at the silent teen. "Were you trying to die out there? You know you're not old enough to become your own nation, and even if you knew what to do you wouldn't-"

"I was sick of it!" The Brit was taken aback once again. No, she wasn't begging him to stay, though in her eyes he could see that she didn't want _him_ to. Despite the desperation, there was the confident gleam in her eyes. Oh, how he knew this day would come. He just didn't know how fast it would arrive. With her actions, she had gotten the message out to everyone-him, Alfred, Matthew, Maria, Francis, anyone who spread the news about the Tavaruan revolution and were gaping at what the 15 year old was capable of.

Lia was growing up.

Arthur saw that when he came to visit to babysit her. She had done everything on her own, never once asking for help on anything unless she needed it. She had grown up that way, while Alfred was too immersed into his frivolous love affairs. She was going to grow up the way she wanted to, and though she was going to manage a fledgling nation at her age, Arthur wished he could take the burden off of her shoulders. Not some, nor little of it. He wanted to take it all off of her, start over and then set her off on the right path.

He couldn't do that, as much as he wanted to. He knew she had to do it all herself, and go through all the suffering, the risks, and the heartbreaks that it took to being a nation. She had to go through life, force herself to grow up even more and learn as much as she could to survive in a world where not even humans could pass their limits and go forward. The world nations lived in was a do-or-die sort of world, where dying meant all the more reason to go forward and do. Even though she was growing up, she wasn't old enough to understand what she would have to go through when she got older.

"Lia, love, you're not old enough-"

"Artie, please..." she turned to him now, eyes begging. "I don't want to hear _you_, of all people, telling me that I made the worst decision of my life. I want to do this."

She read him like a book. She knew what he was going to say, and even if he did tell her then there was no convincing her to stop. She didn't see it, but Arthur could see a little bit of Alfred in her. She wouldn't listen to what he was going to say, and if it was discouraging her from becoming her own nation then she would do the exact opposite. She would try and prove him, prove everyone else wrong. That was the one thing that Lia was "cursed" with.

It didn't stop her from falling harder, or hurting herself further.

_It especially didn't stop her from hurting more, and guarding herself later. _

**_~ (For the Love of America) ~ _**

_So. That was that. He wasn't allowed to see her. _

No, it wasn't Maria. Alfred really could have cared less about her. He didn't blame her for setting him and Lia apart, to the point where she'd leave him; in fact, he didn't care about her as much as he used to. It was Lia...no, no. Tavarua. She had insisted on cutting ties with him, poor, little naive girl she was. Then again, she was smart, too. She was a little more welcoming when the tiny heart-shaped nation opened its ports to England, France, and Canada.

She trusted them. He lost hers.

He didn't need Tavaruan goods...no matter how great of a quality they were. Alright...he needed them. He needed them like he needed to breathe. They were his last connection to her, if anything else. The day Tavarua closed its ports to America was the day Matthew decided to come and visit, the loving little brother he was.

The good thing was, he wasn't there to shove it in his face. That was always like Matthew, though.

"So, Lia banned you from her life for good, did she?" He asked softly, looking over at his older brother.

"Yeah, I guess so," the American chuckled sadly, "I deserved it."

"You did."

"I know I did, Matt. I can't take back time now, even if I asked Arthur to."

"You'd put her through twice the living hell she lived than she did the first time. I think she'd hate you a lot more for it."

Alfred perked up a bit at that, and he slowly turned to his Canadian brother. "Do...do you think Lia hates me?"

"She might have become independent from you, but I don't think Lia would go that far and hate you."

Matthew was right about that. Alfred knew that there was more to his former colony than just that. She knew he made stupid mistakes, but she could never hate him for them. Deep down, she still loved him like a puppy loved its owner. Except with all the neglect, Lia had nowhere to turn to and she had no choice to but to depend on herself. For that, the American wanted to thank Arthur, Francis, and Matthew for being there when she was at her worst.

He just didn't know how. Then again, he also envied them.

_He wanted to be the one this time, who was there for her. But watching her grow up now wouldn't be so easy. _

* * *

**A/N: **I apologize for such a late reply, everyone! School, work, and life has been tough, but this is an early Hetalia Day gift. Happy Hetalia Day, everyone! I'll see you all on the next update!


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